The perception of teratogenic risk by women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy

Abstract

This study determined the advice reported to be received by women suffering from nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) from their caregivers regarding management, the teratogenic risk perception of these women and their choice of antiemetic drug use in pregnancy. A secondary objective was to determine prospectively the effect of counseling on malformation risk perception in women with NVP. The women were prospectively followed-up and questioned about the use of pharmacotherapy or other management choices as well as their perception of teratogenic risk through structured telephone interviews. The results showed that at the initial call, around 6 weeks of gestation, over three quarters of the 260 participants reported that therapy of NVP increased their teratogenic risk. This risk perception was decreased significantly after counseling. Women who reported their physicians' advice to change their diet and/or lifestyle attributed an increased risk for major malformations with antiemetics for NVP (P = 0.001), whereas women who reported advice to take antiemetic medications known to be safe to the fetus attributed no change in risk for major malformations with drugs for NVP (P = 0.002). We came to the conclusion that women are commonly hesitant to treat NVP pharmacologically due to unfounded fears of teratogenic risk. Evidenced-based counseling resulted in reduced numbers of women who considered drug therapy for NVP to increase the risk of major malformations.